LOST STARS

The Jewel Project #3

And as he watched the grey sky, he wondered if this was it. If there was no way to ever bounce back. If there was no way they would ever be more than lost stars, trying to light up the dark left behind when their moon had disappeared.

Chapter 1

End of the Game

Chicago: Present Day

Clutch, shift, gas. Coordinate lift of clutch with press of gas and voila! The car cruised on peacefully without a jolt or hiccup. Because Tom was getting really good at this stick shift thing. He changed gears again, flawlessly. Hell yeah!

"Not bad, kiddo," Kyle said, from the passenger's seat. "You're really getting the hang of this."

"You did have a point. This feels so much better than automatic." Tom pulled up in front of their house and cut off the engine with a satisfied sigh. He then turned to Kyle. "Why are you doing this?"

"Teaching you to drive like a man?" Kyle asked, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Tom huffed. "No, that's pretty obvious. Why are you teaching me how to drive like a man on your birthday?"

"Because I have to stay out of the way while you plan my surprise party." Kyle hopped out of the car with a grin.

Tom's jaw dropped and he got out, too. "No, come on. Who told you?"

"You just did."

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. He should've seen it coming. Kyle just laughed and headed for the house. Tom slammed the car door shut, but didn't move away, resting his fingers on the hood of his brother's Range Rover. Because as he looked from the car he'd just climbed down from to the two story huge house in front of him, he found it hard to believe that he belonged there.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks of living in that house, being pampered by two strangers who claimed to be his parents, drove around in expensive cars and hung out with his four siblings. And there were still moments in which he couldn't believe all of this was real.

A new skill. Driving stick shift was a new skill and no one could take that away from him. And if that was real, then Kyle was real and this car and the rest of his family. Because they really were his family. The DNA test had proven that beyond any doubt. He was no longer an orphan and he could actually go to college.

Jimmy could go to college, too, even MIT like he'd always wanted. Sure, he'd missed this year, but he'd signed up for special science classes at the posh private school Sam went to, and would be applying the next year. Just like he would. Because him and Sam will be graduating together, sending out applications together... Tom's life had changed so much and it was perfect. Well, nearly perfect.

One huge part was missing: Angie. Where was she? How long did it take her to leave her stuff in order and move to Chicago? And why hadn't he thought to get her a phone before she left? He was so used to no phones that even now he kept forgetting he had one or where he actually put it. First order of business when she got back: cell phone, laptop and every other possible device that would make sure he could contact her whenever he wanted.

Ugh, he missed her too much for it to be healthy.

"Watcha doing? Trying to flip the car over?" Jimmy asked.

Tom jumped and turned to his brother who lifted the hood of Kyle's car. "Nah, just lost in thought."

"Be careful, or people might realize you're not a shallow bastard after all," Jimmy warned, taking a wrench out and sinking it into the depths of the car.

"Thanks for the wise words, but until I lose the sunglasses, I'm safe. What do you keep doing to Kyle's car? It works fine."

"I've seen this nifty documentary on tuning and I wanna see if I can screw up his engine," Jimmy answered, working away as if not potentially damaging thousands of dollars' worth of property. "Don't you have a Happy Birthday sign to paint or something?"

"He knows, you know."

"Of course he knows. It's Kyle."

Tom smirked and made for the house. A gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him and he turned around, heart beating wildly with excitement. Just before dramatically plunging with disappointment. It wasn't Angie, but Christine, Sam's gorgeous ex. Her amber eyes sparkled in anticipation and her chocolate hair flowed artistically in the little wind.

Tom rolled his eyes, but froze when Christine put her hands on his cheeks. Before he could pull himself together, she rose on the tips of her toes and kissed him full on the mouth. He barely managed to press his lips together.

He grabbed her shoulders and nudged her back. "Ew, Christine, what the hell? I'm Tom!" He pointed to his sunglasses for good measure.

Christine stared at him blankly. "Then why are you wearing Sam's clothes?"

He so was. "How do you even know they're Sam's clothes?" His were in the laundry and he hadn't gotten around to shopping because he'd wasted his clothes budget on more useful stuff, like skydiving lessons, and he hated shopping even more than he hated kissing Christine.

"I just do and­—" Her eyes narrowed. "Ew? I kiss you and you say ew?"

"I'd say ew, too," Jimmy said, appearing from around the car, wiping his hands on an oily rag. "Hey, Christine. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Sam," she answered, and even if she didn't say it, the 'duh!' was implied.

Figured. Not like Christine would want to see any of them. They weren't friends. She'd made that pretty clear.

"Yeah? What about him having to crawl on his knees at your feet and you still not taking him back?" Jimmy asked as though honestly concerned about the issue.

Tom fortunately managed to pass a snort of laughter for a cough, because there was murder in Christine's eyes. Jimmy however looked totally unimpressed by her hostility.

"Yes, well, that's no longer the issue," she said, lifting her small nose in the air.

"Really?" Jimmy asked with fake enthusiasm. "Does this mean you'll be crawling at his feet so he'll take you back?"

It was getting increasingly hard not to laugh like a maniac. Tom bit the back of his hand, trying to stay serious, but the way Jimmy was pushing Christine's buttons was making it really difficult.

Christine smirked superiorly. "Oh, trust me, that won't be necessary."

The air seemed to freeze around Tom and he no longer felt the least bit amused. Because he knew Christine was right and he hated it. "Sam's not home," he said.

Christine turned to him, her eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Really now?" She pulled out her phone and showed it to him.

Christine: Are you home?

Sam: Yeah, why?

Christine: I'm coming over.

As if to spite them, she pulled her phone away and typed something. It took Sam a few seconds to come out of the house. Fortunately, he seemed weary and confused rather than love struck.

"What's going on?" he asked carefully.

"Oh, Sam!" Christine flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry about the whole misunderstanding, but I didn't know about the mission, about what happened... about anything! But now I do, and I know you didn't lie to me, so we're good. Are we back together now?"

Tom's jaw dropped. So did Sam's, but he wasn't pushing the leech off him either.

"Christine, I told you I was going on a mission," he finally said and Tom cheered internally.

"Yes, but you only mentioned it in passing, didn't give me any details and it was so easy to lose track without you there," she whined, batting her eyelashes at him. "You should talk to me more, not keep everything inside like that."

"I... I guess that's fair," Sam said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Wait, what?" Tom and Jimmy both asked.

Christine gave them the stink-eye over Sam's shoulder as though warning them not to butt in. "Look, it's okay now. I'm sorry we broke up. Are we back together now?"

"I...I guess so," Sam said.

Tom knew he'd say that. That pathetic puppy dog look on Sam's face was an oh-so-obvious warning. But it still pissed the hell out of him that Christine had gotten her way so easily. He almost expected her to flip them off in triumph. To her credit, she didn't. She just whooped with glee and hugged Sam again. This time, he hugged her back, a goofy smile on his face.

"Thanks so much! You're the best boyfriend in the world!" Christine pulled away, still holding his hands, a radiant smile on her face. "Let's go for a walk in the park. We have so much catching up to do." And she headed away, pulling Sam after her.

"Hey, Sam, the party," Tom called out.

"I'll be back soon," he answered, letting the succubus drag him into her lair.

"Ugh," Tom grunted. "How the hell can he let her play him like that? It wasn't even a proper apology!"

Jimmy shook his head. "She's just lucky Sam actually loves her, though heaven knows why." He returned to the car and sank the wrench in the engine again.

"I know, right? Sam didn't seem like the type to get blinded by a fine looking piece of ass."

Jimmy only shrugged. "Yes, I guess she's beautiful, but I don't know..." He lifted his head and fixed Tom with an enquiring stare. "Doesn't she feel... Rotten?"

"Rotten?" Tom asked, confused.

"Yeah, on the inside. Like a very pretty apple that you cut and it's just black and moldy on the inside."

Tom nodded. Yup, that described Christine perfectly as far as he was concerned. "To be fair, we don't really know what Christine's like when they're alone." To be even more fair, he had no idea what Christine was like, period. Because except for the jungle, they hadn't spent much time together, and seeing as he was so busy with Angie, he barely paid Christine any mind. Come to think about it, Angie and Christine were actually friends. Huh. Must mean Christine couldn't be that bad.

Jimmy turned back to the engine. "True. But, honestly, I like Tina a lot more."

"Thank you."

Tom and Jimmy both jumped and Jimmy hit his head against the raised hood. Tina stood behind them, a small smile on her face. She approached Jimmy and he backed up as far as the car allowed him.

"I'm Jimmy," he said quickly.

"I know," she said with a laugh, placing her hand on his forearm. "I just wanted to say thanks and..." She looked at the engine oil she got on her hand. "Ask if Jerry was in." She gracefully refused the rag Jimmy reached out to her and pulled out a clean napkin from her purse. "And don't worry, I could never mix you and Jerry up."

Obviously. Their stature was very different, but Tom still liked to see Jimmy squirm in embarrassment from time to time. It was fun.

Jimmy sighed in relief at the news. "Yeah, he's in the kitchen if you want to talk." He hesitated a little once Tina nodded and headed for the door. "Hey, Tina," he finally called. "Are you here to make up?"

She blushed furiously, but nodded before continuing her way towards the back door.

"Did the two of them break up, too?" Tom asked the moment she was out of earshot.

"You know, I wasn't even sure they were together until they broke up." Jimmy shrugged and returned to his tinkering. "I think this breakup was the best thing that ever happened to them."

"Why's that?"

"Because it made them realize they were in a relationship to begin with."

Tom grinned. So true. Watching Jerry and Tina was fascinating, the way they stumbled and bumbled around each other like newborn fowls. But something else came to his mind. If Christine had come to apologize and Tina wanted to get back with Jerry too...

"Do you think it's game over?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Jimmy asked from the depths of the engine.

"Do you think we're finally going to figure out what the hell happened in the first place and why you all got dumped? And does this mean Jessie and Kay are coming back after all?"

Jimmy gave him a strained smile that only proved he was obsessing over the thing. "I hope so, Tom. I hope so."

⭐⭐⭐

Kyle found out a few things after his birthday party. The most interesting one was probably why he couldn't drink. It all became crystal clear the moment Jimmy threw up spectacularly after his second beer. According to Tom, Jimmy could drink anyone under the table. According to Jimmy, he'd never felt so sick in his life and he'd be damned if he ever touched alcohol again. Apparently that freaky serum he'd had in his blood since birth and Jimmy only for a few months had a huge problem with alcohol. Mystery solved.

The most obvious thing Kyle had learned was that he'd really missed his friends. When Joey and Kelly showed up on his doorstep to surprise him, it suddenly felt like everything was a dream. There was no danger, no Snitch Gravel, and they were all back in Texas, winging it and taking nothing seriously. Of course, then there was the matter of Kay.

But what he'd found out, and had been the best birthday present ever, was that she was coming back in just a few days. Her bags were packed, she had her plane tickets and she had a lot of apologizing to do. He didn't really care about all that. What mattered was that she was coming back. He wasn't even curious enough to grill Christine or Tina over what happened. What was weirder was that neither was Sam.

There had been other surprises. Like JT and Steve showing up out of the blue to announce that they'd moved to Chicago to so they could all be agency buddies together. It was an interesting twist, especially because a redheaded little nuisance had joined them. Their younger brother, Eddie. Who had apparently been recruited too, even if he was barely seventeen, and who talked a mile a minute about how cool it was to be a secret agent. Poor kid had no idea what he was talking about.

Fortunately, he and Billy seemed to have hit it off and could talk about videogames and what not. But Eddie's appearance did raise more questions. Were there other agents out there they hadn't met yet? And if there were, would they ever know everyone in their division? Kyle knew it didn't really matter, but it gave him a really bad feeling about the agency's intentions regarding them. There were still so many things left unexplained.

Sure, they were back to training daily and the sessions were obviously meant to prepare them for anything, so the agency people wanted them to stay alive. But they hadn't properly been briefed about the jewel project either, and it bugged Kyle to no end. But with everything happening and their conflicting schedules, they hadn't managed to get the opportunity to talk about it properly amongst themselves.

And as he watched Sam cuddled up on a couch with Christine, whispering to her and making her laugh, Kyle wondered how much their leader was thinking about it.

🌟🌟🌟

Yay, I'm starting this story! Welcome back! Didn't you miss the gang? Well... you know how it goes. First chapter is back home until something dramatic happens. But the something dramatic usually happens in the second half of the chapter so stay tuned.

I will try to keep updating once a week, on Wednesday.

So, enjoyed this? What do you think about the relationship between Christine and Sam's brothers. That hasn't been explored before and it's about time it did. Drama all around.

Welcome back and vote and comment for me! Because I really need feedback and it motivates me to keep writing .